More national publicity for Bachmann: Time and NYT

Michele Bachmann’s media blitz continues, with coverage in Time magazine and a front page piece in Monday’s New York Times.

Time’s article says:

Bachmann knows how to seize the moment. In six short years, she has risen from anonymous newcomer to become a national GOP leader who rivals Palin in star power. The skills and views that make her a hero to many conservatives have turned her into a favorite target of liberals who flinch at her inflammatory rhetoric and factual flubs. Gallup found that 24% of Republicans have a “strongly favorable” view of Bachmann, third behind Huckabee and Palin. In the 2010 election cycle, she raised $13.5 million, more in a two-year period than any other U.S. Representative in history, tapping a network of 160,000 donors.

… Bachmann does not have to win Iowa to disrupt the GOP race. Simply by depriving other candidates of votes in the first contest, she could play a decisive role in culling the field. But in any case, a win in Iowa wouldn’t guarantee her an easy march to the nomination. Bachmann’s incendiary style could turn off voters down the road. In the past, she has joked inaccurately about the “coincidence” that swine flu emerged during the Carter and Obama presidencies, fretted publicly that Obama might have “anti-American” sentiments and decried what she calls the “gangster government” in the U.S. “People have to draw the conclusion that they can definitely see her as President of the United States,” says Bob Vander Plaats, a kingmaker in the Iowa GOP. “She will not be the nominee,” predicted one strategist with a rival campaign. “Maybe a nice diversion for a while.”

Said the Times:

Best known as a fiery presence on cable television and the founder of the House Tea Party caucus, she is now exploring whether to seek the Republican presidential nomination. And early reaction to her in Iowa, where she was born and raised, suggests not only that she might do it, but also that she could have a substantial impact on the race.

… After a four-day visit to Iowa late last month in which Ms. Bachmann declared “I’m in!” at several stops, it became clear that Republicans were taking notice. At a minimum, the clamor among some social conservatives for Ms. Palin to run has quieted as the attention surrounding Ms. Bachmann has grown.

“If Congresswoman Bachmann gets in, she has the potential to appeal to a lot of people who might have gone for Governor Palin,” Gov. Terry E. Branstad of Iowa said in an interview. “Imagine if they both got in. That could make it really interesting.”

Ms. Bachmann would have substantial obstacles to overcome. She has already made some high-profile gaffes — including declaring late last month that the opening shots of the Revolutionary War took place in New Hampshire, not Massachusetts — that raise questions about her preparation for the scrutiny of a national campaign.